Compression limiting clip for a bracket assembly

ABSTRACT

A bracket assembly includes a polymer bracket that has a first side, a second side, and an opening that extends between the first and second sides. A compression limiting clip includes a plate portion coupled with the second side. A member borders at least a portion of the opening and extends orthogonally from the plate portion through the opening for receiving compression from a fastener engaging the polymer bracket.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a compression limiting clip,and more particularly to a compression limiting clip for a bracketassembly on a vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is common for vehicles to have components, including portions of theengine and other components within the engine compartment, such asshrouds, conduits, and covers, to include rigid metal brackets that aremounted to portions of the engine. Traditionally, these brackets weremostly constructed of metal materials to provide a rigid frameworkwithin the engine compartment. However, due to the increasing desire toreduce weight and improve vehicle efficiency without compromising safetyof the vehicle, it is becoming more common to replace heavy metalportions of the vehicle, such as these metallic brackets, withlightweight materials, such as polymer and fiber composites, that areable to provide similar rigidity and support.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention, a bracket assemblyincludes a polymer bracket that has a first side, a second side, and anopening that extends between the first and second sides. A compressionlimiting clip includes a plate portion coupled with the second side. Amember borders at least a portion of the opening and extendsorthogonally from the plate portion through the opening for receivingcompression from a fastener engaging the polymer bracket.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a clip forlimiting compression of a non-metallic bracket includes first and secondplates extending over respective first and second sides of the bracket.A flange extends between the first and second plates to engage thebracket proximate an opening. A rigid member extends orthogonally fromthe second plate and borders a portion of the opening for engaging afastener extending through the opening.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a bracketassembly for a mounting surface includes a bracket having an end portionthat has a slot. A fastener has a nut threadably coupled with a studextending from the mounting surface through the slot. A clip is coupledwith the end portion and includes a plate portion between the mountingsurface and the bracket. A rigid member extends orthogonally from theplate portion adjacent to the stud and engages the nut.

These and other aspects, objects, and features of the present inventionwill be understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art uponstudying the following specification, claims, and appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a vehicle engine having a bracketassembly, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 1A is a top perspective view of the bracket assembly engaging amounting surface on an alternator of the vehicle engine;

FIG. 2 is a front top perspective view of the bracket assembly;

FIG. 3 is a rear top perspective view of the bracket assembly;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the bracket assembly;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the bracket assembly;

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional side view of the bracket assembly, taken atline VI-VI of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of a compression limiting clippartially removed from an end portion of a bracket of the bracketassembly; and

FIG. 8 is an exploded top perspective view of the bracket assembly,showing the compression limiting clip disengaged from the bracket.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

For purposes of description herein, the terms “upper,” “lower,” “right,”“left,” “rear,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivativesthereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in FIG. 1. However, itis to be understood that the invention may assume various alternativeorientations, except where expressly specified to the contrary. It isalso to be understood that the specific devices and processesillustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the followingspecification are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive conceptsdefined in the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions and otherphysical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed hereinare not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly stateotherwise.

Referring to FIGS. 1-8, reference numeral 10 generally designates abracket assembly for a vehicle 12, that includes a polymer bracket 14having a first side 16, a second side 18, and an opening 20 that extendsbetween the first and second sides 16, 18. A compression limiting clip22 includes a plate portion 24 coupled with the second side 16. A member26 borders at least a portion of the opening 20 and extends orthogonallyfrom the plate portion 24 through the opening 20 for receivingcompression from a fastener 28 engaging the polymer bracket 14.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-1A, a portion of an engine 30 within an enginecompartment 32 of the vehicle 12 is shown as an environmental viewhaving some components of the engine 30 removed, such as belts, to showthe relative location of one embodiment of the bracket assembly 10. Thebracket 14 of the bracket assembly 10 extends from a cam cover 34 of theengine 30 that conceals at least one cam shaft of the engine 30 andengages the engine block 36. Accordingly, the polymer bracket 14 extendsdown to an end portion 38 that couples with an alternator 40 of theengine 30. More specifically, in the illustrated embodiment, thealternator 40 includes a threaded stud 42 of the fastener 28 extendingorthogonally from a mounting surface 44 of the alternator 40. Due to thespace constraints proximate the alternator 40 and the mounting surface44, the end portion 38 of the polymer bracket 14 includes the opening 20that is engaged by the fastener 28, such that the polymer bracket 14does not extend downward substantially beyond the fastener 28. However,it is contemplated that the fastener 28 of the present invention mayengage the bracket 14 at alternative locations on the bracket 14 usingan alternatively oriented compression limiting clip 22.

As further illustrated in FIG. 1A, the mounting surface 44 on thealternator 40 is disposed on a mounting member 46 that extends outwardfrom a rotor housing 48 of the alternator 40. The fastener 28 extendsorthogonally from the mounting surface 44 in generally parallelalignment with a rotor coaxially contained within the rotor housing 48of the alternator 40. The threaded stud 42 extends outward from themounting surface 44 to engage the end portion 38 of the bracket 14 andto threadably couple with a nut 50 of the fastener 28. The nut 50threadably engages a distal portion of the stud 42 and includes a washer52 between the nut 50 and the bracket 14. In addition, an end cap 54 isincluded on the opposing side of the nut 50 from the washer 52 toconceal the distal portion of the stud 42. As also shown, the endportion 38 of the bracket 14 includes a neck region 56 that hasstructural flanges 58 extending downward along the first side 16 of theneck region 56 and leading to a head region 60 of the bracket 14. It isconceivable that the bracket 14, including the end portion 38, mayinclude alternative shapes and arrangements to engage a stud 42 andmounting surface 44. In addition, it is also conceivable that themounting surface 44 may be alternatively located on another component ofthe engine 30, another component of the vehicle 12, or elsewhere. Thefastener 28 may also conceivably include alternative means to attach theend portion 38 of the bracket 14 to the mounting surface 44 withsufficient compression to retain the bracket 14 to the mounting surface44 under the influences of vibration from the engine 30 and othervehicle movement, as understood by one having ordinary skill in the art.

As shown in FIG. 2, the opening 20 in the bracket 14 extends through thebracket 14 between the first and second sides 16, 18 and includes a slot62 having a U-shape. The slot 62 in the end portion 38 of the bracket 14defines a first leg 64 and a second leg 66 of the bracket 14 that extenddownward in substantially parallel alignment on opposing sides of theU-shaped slot 62. The first and second legs 64, 66 also include asubstantially equivalent width between an edge portion 68 of the bracketand the U-shaped slot 62. The slot 62 is bordered partially by the rigidmember 26 of the clip 22, which has a curvature following the U-shape ofthe slot 62. The curvature of the rigid member 26 spans along the slot62 between the first and second legs 64, 66. As illustrated, a distalend 70 of the rigid member 26 similarly includes the curvature such thatthe rigid member 26 has a U-shaped cross-section that extendscontinuously from the distal end 70 to a second plate 72 of the plateportion 24 of the clip. It is conceivable that the rigid member 26 mayinclude alternative shapes and arrangements, such as a segmentedarrangement, to receive compression from the fastener 28.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2-3, a first plate 74 and the second plate 72similarly span over the first side 16 and second side 18 of the bracket14, respectively. The first and second plates 74, 72 extend upward ingenerally parallel alignment and terminate at upper ends to define aheight substantially equivalent to each other. The first and secondplates 74, 72 also span laterally between the edge portions 68 of thebracket 14 to define a width substantially equivalent to each other. Thefirst and second plates 74, 72 also each include a pair of circularindentations 76 that protrude inward towards the bracket. Theindentations 76 hold the bracket slightly away from the interior planarsurfaces of the first and second plates 74, 72. It is contemplated thatthe indentations 76 may include alternative shapes, quantity, and depth,and may otherwise be excluded. It is also conceivable that the first andsecond plates 74, 72 may include open areas or alternative shapes thatengage the first and second sides 16, 18 of the bracket 14,respectively.

As further illustrated in FIG. 3, the rigid member 26 integrally extendsfrom a concave central edge 78 of the second plate 72 proximate theU-shaped slot 62 in the bracket. The first and second plates 74, 72 areconnected by a first and second flange 80, 82 that extend proximate thefirst and second legs 64, 66 of the bracket, respectively. Accordingly,the flanges 58 provide an abutment that contacts the distal edge portion68 of each of the first and second legs 64, 66. The flanges 58 also biasthe first and second plates 74, 72 toward each other to provideadditional retention of the clip to the bracket. The second plate 72also includes a first sidewall 84 and second sidewall 86 extendingorthogonally from the lateral outside edges of the second plate 72adjacent to the edge portions 68 of the bracket. The first and secondsidewalls 84, 86 provide lateral retention of the clip to the bracketand prevent lateral movement of the clip relative to the bracket.

Referring now to FIGS. 4-5, the compression limiting clip 22 alsoincludes a pair of attachment features 88 extending orthogonally fromthe second plate 72 above and in general alignment with the first andsecond sidewalls 84, 86. The pair of attachment features 88 operablycouple with the edge portions 68 of the bracket 14 on the first andsecond legs 64, 66. More specifically, the attachment feature 88includes a resilient element 90 that is biased inward toward the bracket14 and connected to the second plate 72 proximate an upper portion ofthe outer edges. The resilient elements 90 extend downward along theedge portion 68 of the bracket and terminate at a holding surface 92 ofthe resilient element 90 above the sidewalls and are configured to abutretention surfaces 94 on the first and second legs 64, 66. The retentionsurfaces 94 are each formed by a distal protrusion 96 extendingoutwardly from the edge portions 68 of the first and second legs 64, 66.The retention surfaces 94 each include a substantially orthogonalsurface relative to the edge portion 68. As the resilient element 90 ofthe attachment feature 88 extends downward, the width of the resilientelement 90 increases proximate the holding surface 92, defining anenlarged portion 98 to sufficiently engage a substantial portion of thewidth of the retention surface 94, thereby vertically retaining thecompression limiting clip 22 with the bracket 14. The attachmentfeatures 88 may also conceivably include alternative means to connectthe cap 22 with the bracket 14 as generally understood by one havingordinary skill in the art

At illustrated in FIG. 6, the rigid member 26 is shown extendingorthogonally from the second plate 72 through the slot 62 in the bracket14 to the distal end 70 thereof. The distal end 70 of the rigid member26 includes a compression surface 100 that engages the washer 52 and thenut 50 of the fastener 28. The compression surface 100 is generallyaligned with an exterior surface 102 of the first plate upon completethreaded engagement of the nut 50 on the stud 42, which slightlycompresses the first plate toward the bracket 14, flexing about theflanges 58. Complete threaded engagement is generally defined as an M10stud 42 with 10.5 Nm of torque, but may include a range of compressionforces depending upon the desired characteristics of the compressionlimiting clip 22 and the corresponding compression limitations of thebracket 14. Accordingly, the compressive forces of the fastener 28 isdefined between the an interior surface of the washer 52 and themounting surface 44, such that the rigid member 26 primarily receivesthe compressive forces generated by the nut 50 threading onto the stud42, thereby reducing compression of the bracket 14 and maintainingengagement of the bracket 14 with the mounting surface 44. To furtherfacilitate the reduced compression on the bracket 14, the compressionlimiting clip 22 includes a metallic material having a materialstrength, including hardness and compressive strength, greater than thebracket 14. The bracket 14 may conceivably include a polymer material, afiber composite material, such as wood or carbon fiber reinforcedmaterial, soft metals, and other materials having low hardness valuesand/or other characteristics making the advantages of the compressionlimiting clip 22 desired.

As shown in FIG. 7, the compression limiting clip 22 is partiallyremoved from the end portion 38 of the bracket 14 by disengaging theattachment features 88 from the edge portion 68. To facilitate theremoval, the resilient elements 90 of the attachment features 88 areflexed outward, moving the holding surface 92 out of engagement with theretention surface 94 of the bracket 14. To flex the resilient elements90 outward, a laterally upward force is applied to the resilientelements 90 causing them to flex proximate the second plate 72 near anupper portion of the resilient element 90. Upon disengaging the holdingsurface 92 with the engagement surface, the compression limiting clip 22may slide out of engagement with the end portion 38 of the bracket 14 bysliding downward in alignment with the first and second legs 64, 66until the clip is completely removed, as shown in FIG. 8.

Similarly, with reference to FIGS. 7-8, to insert the compressionlimiting clip 22 on the bracket 14, the bracket is slid in the oppositedirection aligning the U-shaped rigid member 26 with the U-shaped slot62 on the end portion 38 of the bracket 14. Engagement of the clip isachieved upon the rigid member 26 substantially engaging the U-shapedportion of the slot 62 and the resilient elements 90 of the attachmentfeatures 88 flexing inward above the distal protrusions 96 to cause theretention surfaces 94 to abut the holding surfaces 92 of the resilientelements 90. Such a sliding engagement allows the compression limitingclip 22 to be installed in constricted areas of the engine compartment32 of the vehicle 12, providing the added benefit of engine compartments32 to include brackets 14 having polymeric materials or other materialsthat may be damaged or weakened under compression. Further, these enginecompartments 32 are increasingly being constricted in size in small andlarge vehicles and incorporated with lighter weight components toincrease vehicle efficiency, as generally understood by one havingordinary skill in the art.

It will be understood by one having ordinary skill in the art thatconstruction of the described invention and other components is notlimited to any specific material. Other exemplary embodiments of theinvention disclosed herein may be formed from a wide variety ofmaterials, unless described otherwise herein.

For purposes of this disclosure, the term “coupled” (in all of itsforms, couple, coupling, coupled, etc.) generally means the joining oftwo components (electrical or mechanical) directly or indirectly to oneanother. Such joining may be stationary in nature or movable in nature.Such joining may be achieved with the two components (electrical ormechanical) and any additional intermediate members being integrallyformed as a single unitary body with one another or with the twocomponents. Such joining may be permanent in nature or may be removableor releasable in nature unless otherwise stated.

It is also important to note that the construction and arrangement ofthe elements of the invention as shown in the exemplary embodiments isillustrative only. Although only a few embodiments of the presentinnovations have been described in detail in this disclosure, thoseskilled in the art who review this disclosure will readily appreciatethat many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes,dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements,values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors,orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novelteachings and advantages of the subject matter recited. For example,elements shown as integrally formed may be constructed of multiple partsor elements shown as multiple parts may be integrally formed, theoperation of the interfaces may be reversed or otherwise varied, thelength or width of the structures and/or members or connector or otherelements of the system may be varied, the nature or number of adjustmentpositions provided between the elements may be varied. It should benoted that the elements and/or assemblies of the system may beconstructed from any of a wide variety of materials that providesufficient strength or durability, in any of a wide variety of colors,textures, and combinations. Accordingly, all such modifications areintended to be included within the scope of the present innovations.Other substitutions, modifications, changes, and omissions may be madein the design, operating conditions, and arrangement of the desired andother exemplary embodiments without departing from the spirit of thepresent innovations.

It will be understood that any described processes or steps withindescribed processes may be combined with other disclosed processes orsteps to form structures within the scope of the present invention. Theexemplary structures and processes disclosed herein are for illustrativepurposes and are not to be construed as limiting.

It is also to be understood that variations and modifications can bemade on the aforementioned structure without departing from the conceptsof the present invention, and further it is to be understood that suchconcepts are intended to be covered by the following claims unless theseclaims by their language expressly state otherwise.

We claim:
 1. A bracket assembly, comprising: a polymer bracket having afirst side, a second side, and an opening extending between the firstand second sides; a compression limiting clip including: a plate portioncoupled with the second side; and a member bordering at least a portionof the opening and extending orthogonally from the plate portion throughthe opening for receiving compression from a fastener engaging thepolymer bracket.
 2. The bracket assembly of claim 1, wherein the openingincludes a slot on an end portion of the bracket defining a first legand a second leg of the bracket.
 3. The bracket assembly of claim 2,wherein the slot has a U-shape and the member includes a curvaturefollowing the U-shape of the slot between the first and second legs. 4.The bracket assembly of claim 2, wherein the member integrally extendsfrom an edge of the plate portion and the plate portion engages thefirst side of the first and second legs.
 5. The bracket assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the compression limiting clip includes a flangeextending from the plate portion over an edge portion of the bracketthat connects between the first and second sides.
 6. The bracketassembly of claim 5, wherein the compression limiting clip includes anattachment feature operably coupled with the edge portion of thebracket.
 7. The bracket assembly of claim 1, wherein fastener includes astud extending from a mounting surface and a threaded nut coupled withthe stud, and wherein the polymer bracket and the member are disposedbetween the mounting surface and the threaded nut.
 8. The bracketassembly of claim 1, wherein the compression limiting clip includes ametallic material having a material strength greater than the polymerbracket.
 9. A clip for limiting compression of a non-metallic bracket,comprising: first and second plates extending over respective first andsecond sides of the bracket; a flange extending between the first andsecond plates for engaging the bracket proximate an opening; and a rigidmember extending orthogonally from the second plate and bordering aportion of the opening for engaging a fastener extending through theopening.
 10. The clip of claim 9, wherein the flange extends over anedge portion of the bracket that connects between the first and secondsides of the bracket.
 11. The clip of claim 10, wherein the openingincludes a slot on the end portion of the bracket defining a first legand a second leg of the bracket, and wherein the rigid member includes acurvature extending between the first and second legs.
 12. The clip ofclaim 11, further comprising: an attachment feature operably coupledwith the edge portion of the bracket on at least a select one of thefirst and second legs of the bracket.
 13. The clip of claim 9, whereinthe rigid member extends adjacent to the fastener to a distal end of therigid member that abuts a perpendicular retention surface of thefastener.
 14. The clip of claim 13, wherein the rigid member includes aU-shaped cross section that surrounds a stud portion of the fastener andextends continuously from the first plate to the distal end.
 15. Abracket assembly for a mounting surface, comprising: a bracket having anend portion that includes a slot; a fastener having a nut threadablycoupled with a stud extending from the mounting surface through theslot; and a clip coupled with the end portion and including: a plateportion between the mounting surface and the bracket; and a rigid memberextending orthogonally from the plate portion adjacent to the stud andengaging the nut.
 16. The bracket assembly of claim 15, wherein therigid member receives compressive force between the nut and the mountingsurface for reducing compression of the bracket.
 17. The bracketassembly of claim 15, wherein the slot has a U-shape defining a firstleg and a second leg of the bracket, and wherein the rigid memberincludes a curvature following the U-shape of the slot between the firstand second legs.
 18. The bracket assembly of claim 17, wherein the clipincludes an attachment feature operably coupled with an edge portion ofthe bracket on at least a select one of the first and second legs of thebracket.
 19. The bracket assembly of claim 15, wherein the rigid memberincludes a U-shaped cross section that surrounds the stud portion of thefastener and extends continuously from the plate portion to the nut. 20.The bracket assembly of claim 15, wherein the compression limiting clipincludes a metallic material having a material strength greater than thebracket.